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New York Times
2 minutes ago
- New York Times
49ers training camp competitions: Ten position battles to watch as the pads go on
SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Training camp officially begins today for the San Francisco 49ers. At least, according to tight end George Kittle. 'For me, football doesn't really start until we put pads on,' he said last week. 'I miss it all the time. I get to hit someone again.' Being in full pads for the first time this season also ought to ratchet up the camp competitions that got underway last week. The linemen and running backs will come into sharper focus. The rookies, some of whom are vying for starting roles, will get their best tastes yet of what Sundays will be like. Advertisement The following are the top 10 battles of training camp. Positions that have multiple players gunning for a job, that are particularly important spots or where the competition is especially tight and difficult to call are listed first: 'It is a wide-open competition at safety,' defensive coordinator Robert Saleh said last week. Then for emphasis, he added: 'At both spots.' With Malik Mustapha coming back from an ACL injury, the player who seems most likely to start in Seattle on Sept. 7 is newcomer Jason Pinnock. He spent two training camps under Saleh with the New York Jets — one at cornerback, the other at safety — and knows the scheme. Pinnock is the only safety who's routinely worked with the first-stringers since the spring. The other spot? It's a competition between another newcomer, Richie Grant, and Ji'Ayir Brown. Though Brown was a relatively high 49ers draft pick (third round in 2023), he wasn't drafted by Saleh, and being an incumbent safety won't win him many points. The dark horse in the mix: Marques Sigle. The fifth-round rookie sat out the spring but has been playing with the second-team group this summer. Sigle might be the most gifted athlete of the group, having recorded a 4.37-second 40 and a 10-foot, 10-inch broad jump at the combine. Prediction: Pinnock and Grant Among those under the microscope during the padded sessions is third-round rookie Upton Stout. He's looked the part of the lively, feisty — and chatty — nickelback so far. But he's also the team's smallest defender (listed at 5 foot 9 and 181 pounds), and coaches want to make sure his aggressiveness holds up in the meat-grinder areas where nickelbacks roam. So far, Stout has lined up mostly with the No. 2 defense while veteran Tre Brown, coming off a strong spring, has been the nickel with the starters. Teams usually like having a veteran in that position because they make fewer mistakes and communicate better. Stout's quickness, however, jumps out, and he'll be hard to hold off. Stout and first-round defensive end Mykel Williams are the favorites to have the most snaps by a 49ers rookie this season. Advertisement Prediction: Stout Ben Bartch seemed to have the edge at this spot when the offseason began, but a quadriceps injury allowed Nick Zakelj to take the starting snaps over the first four days of training camp. Both had short but promising stints at the position last season. The loser of this battle will likely be the game-day backup at both guard spots. Seventh-round rookie Connor Colby has been the backup left guard so far in training camp. Prediction: Bartch If everyone were healthy, the pecking order at receiver would be clear-cut, with Brandon Aiyuk, Jauan Jennings, Ricky Pearsall, Demarcus Robinson and Jacob Cowing in the first five spots and everyone else clawing to be No. 6. But Aiyuk's ACL injury, Robinson's likely suspension, hamstring injuries to Pearsall and Cowing and, most recently, a calf injury to Jennings, have made the lineup harder to predict. Assuming Jennings and Pearsall are the top two receivers in Week 1, No. 3 could go to fourth-round rookie Jordan Watkins, a speedster who also returns punts. Though Watson looked sharp in the spring, he hasn't been nearly as consistent against more aggressive coverage this summer. Other candidates include Cowing, undrafted rookie Isaiah Neyor, who's the most physically gifted of any of the wideouts on the roster, and veteran Russell Gage, who had a pair of 750-plus receiving yard seasons for the Atlanta Falcons in 2020-21. He joined the 49ers' practice squad last season and has been consistent, though not flashy, so far. Prediction: Cowing. Or Watkins. Neyoooor in the aiiiiir ✈️ — San Francisco 49ers (@49ers) July 24, 2025 This seemed like it might be the best battle of the summer after the 49ers used an early third-round pick on Nick Martin. The move, however, served as a wake-up call for Dee Winters, who was perhaps the best player on the field in the spring and who took that momentum into training camp. The padded practices will provide another test. Is the oft-injured Winters rugged enough for an every-down role? He's been strong as a pass defender. Can he be equally stout against the run? Advertisement Prediction: Winters This one could be the easiest to call when the summer session ends. Special teams coach Brant Boyer said he's looking for consistency — both on field goals and kickoffs — from Jake Moody and Greg Joseph. Everything from trajectories to hang times has and will be charted. Or the competition might simply come down to who's more accurate in preseason games. Keep an eye on the Aug. 16 outing in Las Vegas. Moody missed two field goals there two years ago and had a mixed outing on the same field in the Super Bowl. Prediction: Moody Kevin Givens has been the team's top three-technique — the spot Javon Hargrave played in previous seasons — so far in camp. The challenger is second-round rookie Alfred Collins, who has an entirely different profile. While Givens is a shade over 6-1 and weighs under 300 pounds, Collins is the biggest player on defense, measuring 6-6 and 332 pounds. Despite that mass, his explosiveness has been evident in the non-padded practices, and the 49ers see him as their three-technique of the future. The question is whether Collins, who played in a different scheme in college, can master the footwork in time for the opener against the Seahawks. Prediction: Givens As any 49ers fan can tell you, the team's third running back at the end of training camp can quickly turn into the starter. Right now, Christian McCaffrey and Isaac Guerendo are in the top two spots with veteran Patrick Taylor Jr. and rookies Jordan James (fifth round) and Corey Kiner (undrafted) vying for No. 3. (The team cut Israel Abanikanda on Thursday.) Three years ago, Jordan Mason won a battle for the No. 3 spot in part because he dedicated himself to special teams, which seems like a wise plan for Taylor, James and Kiner. Prediction: James Advertisement This position seems earmarked for free-agent addition Andre Dillard, who's played 1,289 snaps over his career. The problem is that Dillard (ankle) has yet to practice with the team. So far, Spencer Burford has been the backup left tackle while Austen Pleasants has been the No. 2 right tackle. Prediction: Dillard Ross Dwelley, Mason Pline, Jake Tonges and Brayden Willis are competing for the third spot behind George Kittle and Luke Farrell. Pline has the best size, and Willis is nimble in space, while Dwelley and Tonges are good all-around. Like the No. 3 running back, this might boil down to who is best on special teams. Prediction: Willis (Photos of Jason Pinnock, left, and Upton Stout: Jeff Chiu / Associated Press, Matthew Huang / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Newsweek
2 minutes ago
- Newsweek
MLB Rumors: Cardinals Could Move Eight-Time All-Star Before Trade Deadline
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. The third base market could get a major shakeup ahead of the MLB trade deadline if the St. Louis Cardinals are able to find common ground regarding Nolan Arenado. The eight-time All-Star was the subject of major trade rumors involving a few teams during the offseason. Teams like the Houston Astros and Boston Red Sox reportedly had varying levels of interest in making a deal with St. Louis. Ultimately, Arenado stayed up. That could change ahead of Thursday's MLB trade deadline, and if that does happen, it could have a major impact on the market. DENVER, COLORADO - JULY 22: Nolan Arenado #28 of the St. Louis Cardinals hits into a fourth inning run-scoring ground out against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field on July 22, 2025 in Denver, Colorado.... DENVER, COLORADO - JULY 22: Nolan Arenado #28 of the St. Louis Cardinals hits into a fourth inning run-scoring ground out against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field on July 22, 2025 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by) More Mark Feinsand said there's renewed interest in Arenado among teams looking for third-base help, and St. Louis could trade him before the buzzer. This seems to either be a change of course or counter to past reporting, as a previous report indicated the Cardinals planned to keep Arenado. Regardless, Feinsand offers one very important caveat: "The Cardinals will have to get approval from Arenado, who possesses a full no-trade clause and can veto any trade -- which he did in December after the Cardinals and Astros had agreed to a trade to send the eight-time All-Star to Houston." Quite frankly, it's hard to conceptualize what sort of deal it would take to get an Arenado deal done. The 34-year-old is a long way from the player who was a perennial All-Star in Colorado. Arenado has been on an undeniable downturn, especially if you take out his 2022 season in which he finished third in MVP voting. His .237 batting average would be a career low, as would his .669 OPS, which is not just a sharp drop-off from his career mark (.847) but also a pretty significant 50-point drop from last year -- which was his career-worst until that point. Then there's the contract. He's got two years left after this one on an eight-year, $260 million deal he signed with Colorado. As Feinsand notes, the Rockies are paying some of the deferred money, and the Cardinals could also help pay off some of the deal. Even so, that no-trade protection looms large, meaning teams would really have to thread the needle to get something done. Perhaps the chance to play meaningful baseball would open up Arenado's market. The Cardinals were a painfully mediocre 54-53, 3 1/2 games out of National League wild-card contention entering Monday. More MLB: Yankees Trade Rumors: New York 'Eyeing' Rockies Standout Reliever
Yahoo
29 minutes ago
- Yahoo
NFL offseason power rankings: No. 3 Detroit Lions lost in the playoffs, then had other big losses
It's hard to imagine anyone rooting against the Detroit Lions. They have a likable team led by a relatable head coach, a passionate fan base and have been terrible for most of their existence. Their rise to the elite tier of the NFL has been fun. So there's no joy in wondering if the Lions' best chances for that elusive Super Bowl appearance have already past. It's possible Detroit fans will be sitting around 20, 30 years from now and still rueing how the 2023 and 2024 seasons ended. Ranking playoff losses by the level of heartbreak isn't the most healthy exercise, so let's just say that the Lions' past two playoff losses are tied for first. In the NFC championship game two seasons ago, the Lions led the San Francisco 49ers 24-10 and their win probability reached 90.4%, according to Next Gen Stats. San Francisco stormed back to win. [Join or create a Yahoo Fantasy Football league for the 2025 NFL season] Last season hurt in a different way. The Lions had a historic season, going 15-2 with the fourth-highest scoring team ever at 564 points. All they had to do was win two home games to make the Super Bowl. The Lions were 15-4 at home over the 2023 and 2024 seasons, including postseason, heading into their playoff game against the Washington Commanders. That game against the Commanders felt like quicksand, with the Lions sinking further every time they tried to take a step. A defense that was decimated by injuries was chasing Washington and its rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels all game. Detroit's offense suddenly couldn't stop making mistakes and turning the ball over. The Lions lost 45-31 and it was hard to put into words the devastation for a franchise that has never even been to a Super Bowl. There have been only nine teams in NFL history to win 15 regular-season games. Before last season, only one didn't win a playoff game. Now it's two. The 2011 Green Bay Packers were a great team but ultimately more forgettable than the 2010 team that went 10-6 but won a Super Bowl. Unfortunately for the Lions, they don't yet have that Super Bowl win to ease the pain of that unexpected one-and-done. "It's disappointing. It's hard," quarterback Jared Goff said. "We had everything we wanted. Home-field advantage, the fans were incredible and unfortunately, we just let it slip out of our hands." [Get more Lions news: Detroit team feed] When you become good, other teams pick at your roster and coaching staff. For decades, nobody wanted Lions coordinators. This past offseason, Ben Johnson and Aaron Glenn were two of the top three candidates on the head-coaching market, with Mike Vrabel being the other. Johnson was hired by the Chicago Bears and Glenn went to the New York Jets. It won't be easy to replace two of the best coordinators in football. The Lions have had a great offensive line the past few years but 40 percent of it needs to be replaced after guard Kevin Zeitler left in free agency and center Frank Ragnow retired. That's another huge blow. The good news is Detroit is still very, very good. The Lions' roster is still full of blue-chip players. Dan Campbell looks like one of the better head coaches in the league. And maybe the losses at coordinator won't be that bad. John Morton, who was on the Lions' staff in 2022 and spent the past two seasons with Sean Payton in Denver, takes Johnson's place as offensive coordinator. Glenn is replaced as defensive coordinator by Kelvin Sheppard, who was coaching Detroit's linebackers the past four seasons. They're both capable of keeping the Lions heading in the right direction. But things change quickly in the NFL. The Philadelphia Eagles look hard to beat in the NFC. The NFC North is the toughest division in the league. Injuries can hit at the wrong times, which the Lions know all too well. Sometimes you catch the wrong matchup against a red-hot team in the playoffs, which Detroit also knows all about. Detroit will remain one of the best teams in the NFL. But you can be an elite team and never make a Super Bowl. After letting incredible opportunities slip by each of the past two seasons, then losing a lot of coaching and playing talent in the offseason, the Lions have to fear that possibility. Offseason grade The Lions have spent a lot of money on big contracts for their stars, but still found enough money to sign one of the best free agents on the market. D.J. Reed signed a three-year, $48 million deal. Reed was a sought after free agent but his deal, in terms of average annual value, was only fourth among cornerbacks who changed teams in the offseason. The Lions got a slight discount for an upgrade over Carlton Davis III, who left for the New England Patriots. The offseason was rough on the offensive line, with guard Kevin Zeitler leaving in free agency and center Frank Ragnow retiring at age 29. Zeitler was ranked as the NFL's third-best guard in Pro Football Focus' grades last season and Ragnow was the No. 2 center. Detroit drafted defensive tackle Tyleik Williams in the first round and offensive lineman Tate Ratledge in the second. Ratledge could play a big role right away with Zeitler and Ragnow gone. Grade: C Quarterback report Jared Goff didn't look like a mainstay at quarterback for the Lions when they traded for him in 2021, but that's what he became. He has a 100.2 passer rating in his four Lions seasons, and over the past three seasons he has averaged 4,547 yards and 32 touchdowns per season. Of course, those three seasons came with Ben Johnson running the offense. Johnson is off to Chicago, and now Goff has to prove he can have the same level of success with John Morton replacing Johnson as offensive coordinator. Goff said the two already have a good rapport, and part of that was Morton being in Detroit for the 2022 season as a senior offensive assistant. Morton has said he wants to maintain the status quo — "I mean, I'm not changing much,' he said, via the Detroit Free Press. 'Why? It's working, right?" — and Goff seems to already have a good vibe with him. "Johnny's been great. He's got such great ideas," Goff told Fox 2 in Detroit. "He was here a few years ago and so helpful for Ben in that first year, just ideas and whatnot, and he's continued with that. Seeing some of the ideas that he's brought to us from the passing game standpoint is stuff I've never done before, but I've seen around the league. Him being able to teach it to us in a certain way and show us how to do things, and certainly it will still be a lot of the same stuff we've done, but there's a lot of really cool new wrinkles that he's been able to add that I'm really excited about." BetMGM odds breakdown From Yahoo's Ben Fawkes: 'This is still one of the best rosters in the league, but it does feel like Detroit's Super Bowl window is closing. Losing both coordinators (Aaron Glenn to Jets, Ben Johnson to Bears) to head coaching jobs will be tough to replace, along with the surprise retirement of center Frank Ragnow. But Aidan Hutchinson's return from injury and the free-agent signing of edge rusher Marcus Davenport should help the pass rush. Detroit still has a win total of 10.5 at BetMGM, is a heavy favorite (-200) to make the postseason and has the second-best odds (+475) behind the Eagles to win the NFC. Can they break through in the playoffs this season?" Yahoo's fantasy take From Yahoo's Scott Pianowski: 'The market gets nervous when someone like Ben Johnson leaves Detroit, but Jared Goff is a tenured quarterback in Detroit — he's essentially a coordinator for this offensive unit. Goff isn't going to forget what's worked with Amon-Ra St. Brown the last four years. The Sun God lost some volume last year but made it for it with a spike in his touchdown rate. But even if he regresses to the 2022 touchdown rate, we're still talking about a player with a very high floor. I have no problem paying the sticker on St. Brown, which is somewhere in the 9-12 range in most Yahoo leagues." Stat to remember This won't surprise anyone who paid the slightest attention to the 2024 Lions, but they finished the season as the most injured defense in the NFL. The Lions had 86.5 adjusted games lost to injury on defense according to FTN Fantasy, most in the league. FTN's Aaron Schatz said that was the sixth-most games lost on defense since he started tracking the stat in 2001. Despite that, the Lions' defense finished fifth in DVOA. There's a reason Aaron Glenn is off to coach the Jets. The biggest injury was to defensive end Aidan Hutchinson, who looked like he might make a run for NFL Defensive Player of the Year before he suffered a grisly broken leg in Detroit's fifth game. Through five games Hutchinson had 7.5 sacks. The reports on Hutchinson's health have been positive, and getting him back will change Detroit's defense. The Lions had to blitz more without him, which puts extra stress on the back seven. Other players will return from injury and assuming the bad injury luck doesn't happen two straight seasons, Detroit's defense should rebound. Not that it was bad last season, despite all those injuries. Burning question Can Jahmyr Gibbs handle more? Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery are the best 1-2 running back punch in the NFL. But we all know Gibbs is the better talent. The Lions have split the work between the two backs and with great results. Gibbs has started just seven games in two seasons, a nod of respect to Montgomery and his role. But Gibbs showed last season how great he can be as the clear featured back. Gibbs started the final three games last season with Montgomery out, and he had 477 yards from scrimmage and six touchdowns while logging three of his four largest carry totals of the season. Montgomery wasn't 100% in the playoffs and Gibbs had 175 total yards and two touchdowns. It will be hard to resist seeing how much more Gibbs can handle in his third season. We've already seen what the results could look like. The Lions don't really spread the ball around much. Almost all of the production will come from these players: Gibbs, Montgomery, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams and Sam LaPorta. That's a pretty good nucleus to rely on. Gibbs had 1,929 yards from scrimmage and 20 touchdowns last season despite sharing with those other stars, particularly Montgomery. We'll see if new coordinator John Morton plans to use Gibbs a little more this season. Best-case scenario For once, maybe the loss of coordinators is being overstated? Probably not, because Ben Johnson and Aaron Glenn were fantastic. But John Morton promises to not change the offense much, and new defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard has learned from Glenn the past four seasons. Yet, there hasn't been a Lions discussion all offseason without mentioning Johnson and Glenn, while ignoring that the roster is pretty much the same. The Lions' offense was one of the highest scoring in NFL history with an array of star players and Detroit's defense was mostly very good despite a ridiculous run of injuries. In DVOA the Lions finished second in offense, fifth in defense (with all those injuries) and first in special teams. It's really hard to finish first in all three phases, but that's actually possible for the Lions. A top three finish across the board is definitely not a stretch. The Lions would have done it last season if not for the defensive injuries. Detroit went 15-2 last season and that's unlikely to repeat. But finishing with the best record in the NFL, taking advantage of a No. 1 seed to win the NFC and going on to win Super Bowl LX is obviously on the table for the Lions. Nightmare scenario The loss of two great coordinators is not the Lions' only concern. The strength of Detroit the past few seasons has been the NFL's best or second-best offensive line just behind Philadelphia. Losing one of the best centers and guards in the league without a great replacement plan turns the Lions' strength into a potential issue. Detroit's offensive line won't fall too far — just like the offense and defense won't collapse without Ben Johnson and Aaron Glenn — but the Lions have a surprisingly small cushion. They play in the only division in the NFL in which all four teams should be viewed as playoff-level teams. Detroit won 15 games last season and didn't clinch the division until the final game of the regular season, and a similar test from the Minnesota Vikings, Packers, Bears or maybe all three should be expected. A small step back could cost the Lions the NFC North, forcing Detroit on the road in the playoffs. And we all know that anything less than a Super Bowl season would be a disappointment. The crystal ball says It's weird to talk about the Lions in "Super Bowl or bust" terms, but here we are. Detroit has already advanced to an NFC championship game and it just posted the greatest regular season in franchise history. Only one step remains. The way the playoffs ended for Detroit the past two seasons adds to the urgency. The Lions know they're close, but getting over the hump is hard. I think the Lions have at least one more season as NFC North champs, but the rest of the division is coming on fast. And coming into this season, the Eagles look like the better team in the NFC. I won't rule out Detroit clearly being the best team in football now that its defense is healthier, but I'm not as confident about that as I was a year ago. While the Lions winning a Super Bowl would still be one of the greatest stories in American sports, every year that passes lessens the possibility of it happening. The window won't stay open much longer.
